Lifestyle Photography Sessions
You can engage a photographers specifically to do a lifestyle photography session. However, many photographers will naturally include lifestyle photos. This is particularly true with an outdoor photography shoot. The idea behind lifestyle photos is that they depict a moment of life. They capture you in an environment or interacting with others. These pictures tend to capture real moments instead of picture perfect portraits. In a very real sense lifestyle photography is about telling a story. This may be done with a single image or through a collection of images. These images highlight fun or important elements of the family, event, or individual.
Outdoor Photography
If you do an outdoor photo shoot it is highly likely that at least some of the photos end up being lifestyle photos. This is especially true if you’re getting a family photo session done. Getting kids to relax, laugh, and play can be hard. However lifestyle sessions can help in two ways:
1- By creating the relaxed atmosphere necessary for lifestyle photos your family has a lot more fun.
2- The opportunities are broader than the limitations of staged portraiture.
Do you want to capture those emotions between family members? Outdoor photography naturally lends itself to getting these shots. Lifestyle photo can result in great photos from unexpected moments, precisely because you’re not set up in a studio to get that perfect pose. With outdoor photography you can still get those neat family images that you expect from portraits. However the magic often happens in the unexpected. Those times when people relax, and just let themselves enjoy the moment.
The Importance of the Environment In a Lifestyle Photo
While close-ups still play their part, capturing the larger environment can be an important part of the lifestyle session. This is especially true when a dedicated lifestyle photography session has been setup to capture the everyday life or a particular event that the subjects are part of. These photos give viewers different contexts to understand the subjects and their lives.
Are Photo Sessions Staged or Candid?
Lifestyle photography uses a good mix of staged and candid photography. Kids will be encouraged to interact with each other and photos will be taken while they provide natural reactions to those around them. This can involve explicit direction such as asking your family to all look in a certain direction, encouragement to react by telling a joke, or just asking the family to start playing or settle themselves down in their environment in a way that feels natural. The idea is to help you relax so that you really shine through.
Who Are Lifestyle Photography Sessions Great For?
Lifestyle photos work for many reasons. They can be great for couples and families can find them useful because they give kids an opportunity to play. You can book in a portrait session for standard, polished portraits. However, if you want to include some elements that show your family enjoying life or interacting with the environment, then you’ll want a lifestyle session. If you want photos that tell a story, then you’ll want a lifestyle session. In practice, many photo shoots, especially outdoor sessions, tend to incorporate at least some element of lifestyle photography, although this may not always be specifically identified.
For Mackay residents you can contact Mad For Media to book in your session, campaign, or mini outdoor photo shoot. For current examples check out our facebook page.
No responses yet